Way to go, Luna! Yup, body weight plays quite a big role on the hills. It must feel fantastic to be able to do them without the extra weight.
I hope you have fun with weight training. If you're not used to it you will be sore, but it can also help you feel at home in your body in a way that running and cycling doesn't necessarily do. Well, it does for me anyway. I think the proper term is proprioception, the sense of where everything is and how it works together.
Winter riding is much less about badassery and much more about bundle-uppery. - malkin
1995 Kona Cinder Cone commuterFrankenbike/Selle Italia SLR Lady Gel Flow
2008 white Nakamura Summit Custom mtb/Terry Falcon X
2000 Schwinn Fastback Comp road bike/Specialized Jett